“Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet” by Hannah Ritchie is probably the best environmental book of the past several years and I recommend it to anyone interested in wanting to take effective environmental action.
It would be especially good for those concerned about the environment but have not onboarded the importance of effectiveness (eg worrying about the right things)
A lead researcher at the excellent website Our World in Data, Ritchie covers 7 main areas (Air pollution; Climate Change; Deforestation; Food; Biodiversity Loss; Ocean Plastics; and Overfishing) with rigor, clarity, and optimism.
Recurring themes are that we need to take action to make the environment better and more sustainable, but in many cases things are likely not as bad as you thought (e.g., the oceans will not be empty of fish in 2050). Or she dispels outright falsehoods—like the Amazon providing a lot of oxygen (it doesn’t on net).
I’ve covered many enviro myths (e.g., eating local is better for emission) on my podcast but it was nice to have so many all in one place. Additionally, describing concrete things that can be done while having sections titled “Things to stress less about” should really help people target their time and energy towards effective environmentalism.
Highly recommended. Especially for those who have unfortunately (and inaccurately) succumbed to futility about environmental issues.
(Ritchie doesn’t mention EA but she does talk about 80k, donating to AMF, and being an effective environmentalist, so...)
Book Review (mini) - Not The End of the World by Hannah Ritchie
“Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet” by Hannah Ritchie is probably the best environmental book of the past several years and I recommend it to anyone interested in wanting to take effective environmental action.
It would be especially good for those concerned about the environment but have not onboarded the importance of effectiveness (eg worrying about the right things)
A lead researcher at the excellent website Our World in Data, Ritchie covers 7 main areas (Air pollution; Climate Change; Deforestation; Food; Biodiversity Loss; Ocean Plastics; and Overfishing) with rigor, clarity, and optimism.
Recurring themes are that we need to take action to make the environment better and more sustainable, but in many cases things are likely not as bad as you thought (e.g., the oceans will not be empty of fish in 2050). Or she dispels outright falsehoods—like the Amazon providing a lot of oxygen (it doesn’t on net).
I’ve covered many enviro myths (e.g., eating local is better for emission) on my podcast but it was nice to have so many all in one place. Additionally, describing concrete things that can be done while having sections titled “Things to stress less about” should really help people target their time and energy towards effective environmentalism.
Highly recommended. Especially for those who have unfortunately (and inaccurately) succumbed to futility about environmental issues.
(Ritchie doesn’t mention EA but she does talk about 80k, donating to AMF, and being an effective environmentalist, so...)